Although the Fourth of July is a wonderful time to celebrate our freedom with friends and family, with all the cups, utensils and fireworks we end up using, it’s also one of our most wasteful holidays! So this year, why not take advantage of our six ideas that will help you green-up your festivities without sacrificing an ounce of fun. In fact, it might surprise you to find that following our tips could actually increase the fun quotient while sparing the planet at the same time. 1. Go meatless for the day Nothing says Independence Day like a backyard barbecue, but the global meat industry has put a terrible strain on the planet. This year, ditch the pork chops and steaks and consider some delicious vegetarian grilling recipes instead. Although forgoing the meat might seem akin to sacrilege, there are so many more creative dishes available that are good for your health and the planet. 2. Use real plates When you have 15 guests coming around, it’s so easy to break out the paper plates to avoid a sink full of dishes. But imagine the waste if every American went this route! If washing your own dishes in a water-saving dishwasher doesn’t sound appealing, it is now possible to purchase biodegradable packaging that won’t clog up the landfill. 3. Use public transportation If you live out in the middle of Iowa, taking a bus or train to your friend’s house might not be possible for you. But most city dwellers certainly do have this option. Using public transportation , or even cycling instead of driving a car, has more than one benefit: not only will you reduce your carbon footprint for the day, but you won’t have to drive home after drinking! Which brings us to our next point… 4. Buy kegs instead of cans and bottles Don’t take this the wrong way — Inhabitat isn’t endorsing national drunkenness, but we are realistic. People have the day off, they’re hanging out with their favorite people… beer will be had. Instead of buying a stack of cans and bottles that use up a lot of unnecessary materials, consider purchasing a keg. This is cheaper, usually, and you’ll have zero waste — especially if you use your own mugs or compostable cups . 5. Cool down with a batch of delicious organic popsicles If drinking beer isn’t your thing, or you’re celebrating the holiday with a handful of screaming young children, consider following our recipes for 30 kinds of delicious organic popsicles . They’re so easy to make and contain none of the junk that store-bought popsicles do. Plus, you won’t produce any waste as a byproduct of enjoying one of our favorite summer treats. 6. Enjoy a sunset with wind- and solar-powered lights Sunset is probably our favorite part of the Fourth of July. Not that we’re excited for the day to end, but the temperature simmers down at last, and the sky fills up with the vibrant colors of fireworks. Make the ambiance last and reduce your energy footprint by using wind and solar lights . They’re easy to find at IKEA, and they’ll impress the daylights out of your friends and family! Have a happy and green Fourth of July! Images via Nigel Howe , Shutterstock ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ), Inhabitat and IKEA

Comments Off on TGI Fridays to sell Beyond Meat’s plant-based burger in hundreds of stores

When you’re hunting for tasty vegan eats, TGI Friday’s probably doesn’t top your list. But the American restaurant chain will start offering Beyond Meat’s plant-based, vegan Beyond Burger in over 465 stores starting in January. The Beyond Burger – which launched in May of last year – has become Beyond Meat’s most successful product, and it’s currently available in over 5,000 supermarket meat cases next to ground beef. Beyond Meat announced the soft launch of their Beyond Burger in an eight-week trial at six TGI Friday’s outlets in the Boston area back. Now their meatless alternative will roll out in over 465 stores as part of their revamped Burger Bar. TGI Friday’s is the biggest restaurant brand to partner with the plant-based meat company, which also offers a precooked frozen pea protein burger patty, meatless chicken strips, and a ground beef alternative called Beyond Beef Crumble. Related: Impossible Foods cruelty-free burger added to more West Coast restaurant menus While reviewers have raved about the meat-like quality of Beyond Meat’s products, it’s their recently-launched Beyond Burger that’s really shined. People can purchase the burger in over 5,000 grocery stores in America at chains like Safeway, Kroger, Hy-Vee, Wegmans, and Raley’s. The burger boasts 20 grams of plant-based protein, largely from peas, and the company says it looks, cooks, and tastes like real meat, so it’s sold in the meat section of supermarkets. The company aims to offer meat alternatives that will appeal to a wide audience; Fast Company quoted CEO Ethan Brown as saying, “Our products are so good there’s no reason to consider it a sacrifice.” The company’s goal, per their website , is to change the meat case to the protein case by providing food that attracts even burger-loving carnivores. + Beyond Meat Via Fast Company and Beyond Meat Images via Beyond Meat Twitter ( 1 , 2 )

Comments Off on How meatless shrimp could solve seafoods sustainability problem

New Wave Foods says “we disrupt food, not the oceans,” and they mean it. Their plant-based shrimp supposedly looks, tastes, smells, and feels like the real thing, but without the pesky environmental destruction and ethical quandaries. Bioengineered food has gone mainstream with lab-grown meat and “ bleeding ” veggie burgers – it’s only logical that seafood would follow suit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lu0-v8A9rs The meatless shrimp is made from plants and algae and engineered to reproduce a similar texture and taste as a real shrimp. Co-founder and CEO Dominique Barnes told Seeker Stories how their meatless shrimp even have a similar nutrient profile, except New Wave’s product has less fat and no cholesterol. Related: U.S. shrimp may not be what consumers bargained for Considering Americans eat the equivalent of four pounds of shrimp per person each year, one has to wonder if the planet can sustain such high demand. The answer is not so much, especially since so many natural mangrove habitats are destroyed for shrimp farming. In fact, there are half as many fish in the ocean as there were in 1970, an incriminating statistic for all seafood industries. A future of bioengineered, plant-based alternatives could be a part of the solution. + New Wave Foods Via Collectively Images via New Wave Foods, YouTube

Comments Off on Meatless burger that cooks, smells, and bleeds like beef previews in San Francisco

Impossible Foods has perfected a juicy, bleeding, meatless hamburger that mimics beef down to its distinct aroma – and they just debuted the revolutionary vegan patty in San Francisco. Engineered to evoke the taste, smell, and cooking reactions of beef, this food innovation could change family cookouts forever. Impossible Foods founder Patrick Brown told The Wall Street Journal , “The whole mission of this company is to make eating animals unnecessary. So, we don’t want our product to just be delicious, we want it to be as delicious as meat.” Now you can have a juicy, bleeding, meatless burger – and eat it, too. Impossible Foods hit the headlines last year for reaching over $108 million in investments , and the final total is estimated to be around $183 million today. A shining reputation helped Patrick Brown, co-founder of plant-based cheese company Kite Hill , attract investors – including Bill Gates – to his new endeavor. Research and development has been underway in an unassuming Silicon Valley laboratory for over five years, and the fruits, er, proteins of their labor are finally ready for the public. Related: Plant-based burger company receives huge $108 million investment San Francisco haunt Jardinière featured the plant-based patty in a pop-up event where it was topped with avocado, caramelized onion, vegan dijonnaise, and served on a potato bun. The burger itself is a product of sophisticated engineering. Coconut oil lends to the juiciness while it cooks (did we mention the patties are purchased raw and cooked up like traditional hamburgers?) and potato compounds create a familiar crisp when prepared. A molecule from honeydew melon creates the mouth-watering aroma akin to grilled meat. Impossible Foods doesn’t plan on stopping at a few, select pop-up events. Because beef production requires more resource input than the final product and is a main culprit in environmental devastation, Brown argues we need to find alternatives, and soon. The Impossible burger gives us an alternative that is both tasty and conscientious. + Impossible Foods Via San Francisco Eater Images via Impossible Foods

Comments Off on Tiny electric car smashes world record by hitting 0-60 mph in 1.5 seconds

A team of 30 Swiss students have created the fastest-accelerating car in the world – and it’s 100% electric . In just 1.513 seconds , the Grimsel race car can go from zero to 60 miles per hour (100 km/h) — in fact, it’s half a second faster than Tesla’s ” Ludicrous Mode ” for the Model S. The car managed to reach this speed after covering less than 98 feet (30 meters) of track at the Dübendorf air base near Zurich. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-NCH8ct24U&feature=youtu.be The previous world acceleration record was 1.779 seconds, a time claimed last year by a team from the University of Stuttgart. To achieve this lightning-fast acceleration, the team constructed the car from mostly carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb, installed four-wheel drive, and integrated an onboard computer to apply traction control to each individual wheel. In addition to its speed, the car is incredibly lightweight at only 370 lbs (168 kg). The Grimsel also features a custom motor developed by the student team, who say they were unable to find any existing motors on the market that suited their purposes. In fact, the tires, cells for the battery , motor controls, and some of the small electronic components are the only parts of the car that were purchased or sponsored by outside companies. The rest of the vehicle was created custom for a student racing competition. Related: Tesla is working on an electric motor that lasts a million miles The Academic Motorsports Club Zurich (AMZ), the team behind the car, is made up of students from ETH Zurich and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts for the Formula Student competition. Despite these university affiliations, the team is financially independent and receives sponsorship from a number of sources. The Grimsel is the fifth electric car created by AMZ’s members since 2010, although the team originally started out building cars with combustion engines in 2006. + AMZ Racing Via The Verge Images via ETH Zurich

Comments Off on Lightlife Makes It A Cinch To Prepare Delicious Meatless Meals

Lightlife is making it easier and tastier than ever to enjoy protein-packed meatless meals by introducing four new frozen vegetarian burgers: Kick’n Black Bean , Backyard Grill’n , Mellow Portobello Mushroom and the Farmer’s Market Veggie Burger . Eliminating meat from your diet, even occasionally, is one of the easiest ways to make a huge impact on the health of the planet, as emissions produced by the meat industry are one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues . Lightlife’s clever video on what a vegetarian farm would look like is a must-see for animal lovers. WATCH VIDEO > Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: LightLife , vegetarian , vegetarian burgers , vegetarian cooking , vegetarian diets , vegetarian families , vegetarian kids , vegetarianism , veggie kids

Photo: Jess Root Vegan punk chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Quinoa Salad with Black Beans merits following the recipe 100%. It’s that good. But, in getting more improvisational and thrifty thanks to inspiration from Kelly , the meatless meal ended up just as tasty and a dash more